‘My whole career, everyone f***ing hates me’: Polarising rugby league star Joey Leilua opens up

Discarded NRL star Joey Leilua has opened up about being one of the most polarising figures in the game over the past decade.

WEEKEND TELEGRAPHS SPECIAL. DECEMBER 3, 2021.ÊPLEASE CONTACT WEEKEND PIC EDITOR JEFF DARMANIN BEFORE PUBLISHING. Pictured in Prestons today is Former NRL player Joey Leilua at his first boxing training session after having Covid. Picture: Tim Hunter.

Discarded NRL star Joey Leilua has opened up on being one of the most polarising figures in the competition over the past decade.

Leilua was spat out of the NRL in October when he was unceremoniously dumped by the Wests Tigers.

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The Tigers opted against activating the option in their favour on Leilua’s $850,000-per-season deal for 2021. He’ll instead play next year for second-tier English side Featherstone Rovers.

Leilua, 29, will join the Rovers soon after he takes on Chris Heighington in a one-off boxing match on December 22, which was delayed after the former contracted Covid-19.

The two-time Dally M Centre of the Year believes he was axed by the Tigers for standing up to the coach Michael Maguire.

Leilua ended his stint in Canberra in 2019 on frosty terms with Raiders coach Ricky Stuart.

He also proved a colourful character during stints the Roosters - where he made his debut in 2010 - and Knights. He has divided fans in most of his 225 NRL games.

Leilua was asked this week, in the lead up to his fight with Heighington, how people would describe him as a footy player.

“A grub,” Leilua told Stay Fresh Media.

“People find me as a footy player a grub and a bad person but that’s just the way I play.

Former NRL player Joey Leilua at his first boxing training session after having Covid. Picture: Tim Hunter.

“I don’t really care who is on the other team... I’m going out there to hurt them, that’s what I’ve done my whole career, I don’t really care.

“My best mate Tim Lafai, I used to play against him all the time and I didn’t care, and that was my mentality all the time and that’s what I’m taking into boxing.

“Everyone thinks I’m a bad person and I can’t wait to prove them wrong.

“Hopefully, I’ll be standing there at the end of the fight looking at him on the ground.”

Joey Leilua in 2021. Digital image by Robb Cox.

Leilua said he knows his aggressive approach to the game has always rubbed people the wrong way.

“My whole career, everyone f***ing hates me and that’s just part of the territory, if you play how I play, you’re always going to get that from people,” he said.

“It doesn’t bother me, as long as those people close to me know who I am and care about me, that’s the only opinions I take, I don’t really care about the outside world.

“I’m just going to go out there and bash the s**t out of (Heighington) and watch everyone look at me and go ‘f*** you can’t bash him’.

“In boxing if you get hit in the head you just want to kill them but it’s all about discipline in boxing, so if I’m disciplined I’ll knock him out.

“He’ll be sleeping. If I land it, he’ll be sleeping, if not I’ll look at him and go f*** good chin mate then I’ll go again and try and crack his chin again.”

Originally published as ‘My whole career, everyone f***ing hates me’: Polarising rugby league star Joey Leilua opens up